


and in health

by polkadottedmars



Series: vows [2]
Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-14
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-01 12:12:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2772566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/polkadottedmars/pseuds/polkadottedmars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nancy and Ned add to their family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ndnickerson](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ndnickerson/gifts).



> written for ndnickerson's birthday

Nancy heard her daughter's rapidly approaching footsteps as she set the timer on her phone. Silently cursing to herself, she opened the bathroom door to find Carrie, fist raised, ready to knock.

“Mommy!” Carrie squealed in delight, as if she hadn't just seen her ten minutes earlier.

Nancy smiled warmly at her daughter. She had always relished her children’s easy affection, but as Jamie got older it was clear they wouldn’t always be that way. At eight, Jamie still got excited to see her and Ned, and didn't hide that in front of his friends. But Nancy had noticed the looks the other kids would give him, and their laughter, intended to be hidden behind their hands, was painfully obvious. She had no doubt that Jamie had noticed too. For now it didn't seem to bother him, but Nancy dreaded the day he decided it wasn't cool to be around his parents.

Nancy deftly turned the lock on the inside knob of the door and shut the door quickly. “This door’s broken, sweet pea. You’re going to have to use the bathroom upstairs.”

Carrie frowned as she looked down at the sparkly red dress-up heels on her feet, a gift from her Aunt Bess. “But I’m not ‘posed to wear these on the stairs.”

Laughing, Nancy bent down to pick up her daughter. “You could always take them off,” Nancy said. “But you are a princess,” she paused to adjust the tiara slipping off of Carrie’s strawberry blonde hair. “-so I’ll carry you.”

“You forgot to bow!” Carrie said seriously, as Nancy carried her up the stairs.

“Excuse me?” Nancy teased. “I think you’re forgetting something. If you’re a princess, what would that make me, your mother?”

Carrie’s brows knitted for a moment, and she squealed when she realized the answer. “Mommy! You’re the queen!” Her tiny lips formed an ‘o’. “That’s even better than a princess,” she said in awe.

Nancy chuckled, and deposited her daughter safely on the second floor landing. “I don’t know. Princesses get to have balls and queens have to work hard and rule the kingdom.”

Carrie shook her head. “That’s the best part! You can tell everyone what to do.”

“That’s right,” Nancy grinned. “You’d better get to the bathroom before I order you to clean your room.”

Carrie gasped, and hurried as fast as she could without slipping in her shoes.

Nancy could hear the front door shut, letting her know that Ned was back from his morning run. He usually said hello to her and the kids before taking his shower in the bathroom connected to their bedroom, which would give her plenty of time to deposit Carrie back downstairs and finish up in the bathroom.

“Nan!” she heard Ned’s fearful shout over the pounding of his footsteps. He made it up the stairs in seconds. “I think Carrie locked herself in the bathroom. She didn’t answer when I knocked. You need to go pick the lock.”

“I’m right in here, Daddy,” Carrie announced loudly from behind the bathroom door.

Relief flooded Ned's face and he cursed under his breath. “Damn, I used to be able to handle you running head first into danger and now a locked door gives me a heart attack. What happened to me?”

Nancy chuckled, shaking her head. “I don't think handle would be quite the right word. But what happened is you became a dad.” Linking her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer. “And watch your language. Those tiny ears hear everything.”

“Takes after her mother,” Ned teased, reaching down for a kiss. He cut it short, pulling away with a confused expression. “Wait, why is the downstairs bathroom locked?”

Nancy hesitated. While lying was a necessary skill for her profession, she hated to do so to those she loved, even when she wasn’t ready to share something. Luckily—not that she had viewed herself as lucky at the time—numerous run-ins with her father and Hannah on the early mornings she had snuck in after spending the night out with Ned had taught her how to supply just enough truth without revealing too much.

“Nan?” Ned asked, noticing her hesitation.

She offered him a bright smile. “I was just in the middle of something and wanted to keep the kids out.”

Ned raised an eyebrow, knowing she was keeping something back, but accepted her answer. “So Carrie suckered Jamie into a tea party, huh?” The den had been his first stop, and he had found his son sitting on one of Carrie’s little play chairs, surrounded by a dozen of her favorite stuffed animals, all with mini pink teacups beside them.

“Actually, he asked her if she would like one,” Nancy corrected.

Jamie had been a great big brother from the moment Carrie was born, giving up all his baby toys willingly and reading to her as he learned how. But since her tonsillectomy, Jamie had been extra attentive, telling his friends he couldn’t go out and play until she could and even taking care of her chores. The few tasks Nancy and Ned expected of their five-year-old weren’t much, especially when she was still recovering, but once she was operating at full-speed again, Jamie had spent half the day cleaning up her toys. Still, offering to have a tea party with Carrie was a much bigger sacrifice.

Playing tea party was one of Carrie’s favorite activities, and all three of them would indulge her often, sometimes all together and sometimes one-on-one. But her family always waited for her to ask them to play, only ever asking her on special occasions or when it was obvious she needed some cheering up. Carrie didn’t take her tea parties lightly, turning them into elaborate ordeals that lasted for hours. Ned and Jamie had only lasted a few tea parties with her insisting they wear tiaras—the parties were for royalty only—before they went on a shopping hunt for manlier crowns.

“How did we get so lucky with him?” Ned asked, proud of how well his son treated his sister.

“He takes after his father,” Nancy echoed Ned’s earlier teasing.

“So, on a scale of Hannah sneaking her a couple cookies before dinner to shopping with Bess, how excited is she about today?”

“Even more excited than she is when you come home from a business trip,” Nancy said grinning.

Carrie had taken advantage of her illness earlier in the month, asking for a puppy while she was still recovering. They probably would have caved even if she had been at her healthiest—she had inherited not only Nancy’s eyes, but Ned’s trademark grin as well, and she knew how to use them against her parents—but her vulnerable state had earned her a ‘yes’ without much discussion between her parents.

She had been ready to pick out a dog right away, but Nancy and Ned wanted to go away for a weekend at Fox Lake and they didn’t feel right asking anyone to watch two children and a brand new dog still adjusting to its surroundings. Already concerned for a dog she didn’t even have yet, Carrie had agreed that it wouldn’t be good for the dog to spend a weekend out so soon. But that didn’t stop her from trying to get her parents to leave as soon as possible and move things along.

“I’d better get in the shower,” Ned said, pulling away from Nancy. “Care to join me?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows teasingly.

Nancy laughed, shaking her head. “Didn’t you get your full at the cabin?”

“I’ll never get my full of you, Nan,” he answered, grinning. “Besides, as I recall, you spent a lot of the weekend not feeling well.”

“I’m fine,” Nancy responded to the concern in his voice. “Great, actually.”

Ned had been worried before they even left for their weekend that she had caught something, but she had thwarted his concerns by saying she was just worn down and tired. He hadn’t accepted her explanation as easily while they were at Fox Lake relaxing.

“I know when you’re lying, Nancy,” Ned sighed. “If you’re not feeling better in a couple of days, I’ll drag you to the doctor myself.”

“Deal,” she said, sealing the promise with a quick kiss. She pulled away, wrinkling her nose. “Now go shower. You stink,” she teased.

The bathroom door opened and Carrie came running out towards Ned. “Daddy! What took you so long?”

Ned picked her up, chuckling. “Sorry, ladybug. You know, I think I saw Jamie sneaking a muffin downstairs.”

Carrie’s eyes widened. “But Lamby and Pinky haven’t had their turn yet!” she said, listing the stuffed animals at their tea party.

“We’d better get down there quick then,” Nancy said, taking her daughter from Ned’s arms.

Nancy dropped Carrie back off in the den with Jamie before making a pit stop at her purse to retrieve her lock picking kit. She picked the flimsy bathroom door lock in seconds, more from muscle memory than skill. The downstairs bathroom had been Jamie’s favorite hiding spot for rainy day hide-and-seek, and Nancy, afraid he’d lock himself in there one day, spent an afternoon learning how to pick it as fast as possible.

She relocked the door behind her, afraid one of the kids would wonder in behind her—or worse, Ned. At least Jamie and Carrie wouldn’t understand what she was looking at, but Ned…if he saw the test and it turned out to be negative, Nancy couldn’t bear to see the disappointment on his face.

Nancy’s first pregnancy had taken her by surprise. Jamie hadn’t been planned exactly—or at least not further than a mutual agreement that they would have children some day. At first Nancy had panicked, thinking it was too early for them—for her.

When Ned had proposed the summer before his senior year, she hadn’t thought about how ahead of everyone else she was. Meeting her future husband at fifteen had meant that at twenty she was ready, and felt old enough, to accept his proposal, even if all of her friends her age were still going on first dates. Planning the wedding for the summer after Ned’s graduation made logical sense. Neither of them wanted to wait until Ned graduated from law school to wed.

She had been with Ned long enough that other than getting to go home to him every night, being married to him hadn’t been that much of an adjustment. He had been an extension of her for so long that it was hard to remember what life was like before Ned. Their friends and family had teased them since early in their relationship that they were like an old married couple, so it wasn’t much of a change for anyone else either.

There were some things she couldn’t talk to George or Bess—whose search for the perfect man had been as strong as ever—about because they wouldn’t understand married life, but Edith had let Nancy know right away that she could always come to her, and Nancy had reconnected with her childhood friend, Helen Corning. A few years between the two, they had grown apart when Helen left for college. They had been entering different stages in their lives—Nancy still had the majority of high school left and she had only just met Ned. But Helen’s wedding to her college boyfriend was right around the time of Nancy and Ned’s engagement, and they found themselves at the same place in life.

They had been married for three years, and Ned was just graduating from law school, when Nancy found out she was pregnant. Her panic of the timing had been short-lived, and her excitement had soon set in. Even though she was starting her family earlier than most of her friends, she was ready for it. Helen became pregnant shortly after Nancy, and because they were able to share that experience, they grew even closer.

Carrie had been well-planned. They wanted Jamie to have a sibling close in age, but they also wanted to wait until they were settled in a house, instead of the Chicago apartment they were raising Jamie in. It wasn’t long after they moved to River Heights and started trying that Nancy began pregnant with Carrie.

Carrie’s fifth birthday had made them question if their family was complete. Neither liked the idea of their little girl growing up. They decided they wouldn’t actively try for a baby, keeping track of Nancy’s ovulation cycle like they had with Carrie, but rather Nancy would stop taking her birth control and whatever happened, happened.

Even though Nancy knew she was older, she had been disappointed when she didn’t get pregnant right away. She was at the age where some of her friends were just starting their families. She wouldn’t change the timing of her marriage and children, but a part of her hated to hear news of her friends’ pregnancies while she was afraid her family was complete.

Bess and her husband of two years were only starting to discuss the idea of children, and Ned’s best friend Mike and his wife Jan’s children were still so young—the first had been born a year after Carrie and the second was only months old. As much as she loved who Jamie and Carrie were growing up to be, she missed when they used to depend on her. Her heart ached whenever she saw Ned holding one of their friend’s babies.

Taking a deep breath, Nancy picked up the first pregnancy test. “Please,” she begged under her breath, before reading the results.

Two hours later, Nancy willed her stomach to calm as she got into the passenger seat of Ned’s car.

“You okay, Nan?” Ned asked, watching his wife carefully as he helped his daughter into her car seat. “We could always wait—“

“No,” Nancy quickly cut him off, sending him a reassuring smile. “We might have a revolt on our hands if we do that. I’m fine.”

Ned had been extra attentive since she started showing signs of being sick, but he had been on high alert today, watching her every move. It was almost as if he knew something, which wouldn’t really surprise Nancy. No one was able to read her quite like he could.

“Princess Penelope’s puppy is pink. Are they going to have a pink puppy?” Carrie asked as Ned checked her seat belt.

“Sorry, ladybug. Only cartoon puppies are pink,” Ned answered.

Jamie leaned forward to whisper in his mother’s ear. “Don’t get a white one. She’ll try and dye it.”

Nancy shook her head, chuckling, as she turned around to tell her son to buckle his seat belt. Looking over at Carrie she smiled sympathetically. “No pink puppies, but if we get a girl we’ll find her a nice pink collar, okay?”

Jamie groaned, and Ned, settling into the driver’s seat, joined in jokingly. “It better not be sparkly.”

To her parents’ amusement and brother’s annoyance, Carrie sang the entire way to River Height’s animal shelter. Jamie sat through it and didn’t say anything, though, so as soon as they parked and got out of the car, Ned wrapped an arm around his son and thanked him. “Want to see if you can beat your old man after Carrie goes to bed? Your choice of video game.”

Jamie grinned. “Awesome,” he enthused. “Think we can get Mom to play too?”

Ned chuckled, knowing Jamie was hoping to beat the both of them. “Maybe if your sister doesn’t tire her out first,” he said, nodding in front of them.

Carrie was pulling her mother as best she could to the animal shelter’s door.

“Slow down, sweetie,” they heard Nancy say tiredly.

Ned watched as his son frowned, his brows furrowed in thought. “Can we play tomorrow, Dad? I think we should take care of Mom tonight.”

“Deal,” Ned said, proudly as they caught up with Nancy and Carrie.

“Hi!” the teenager behind the counter greeted them, putting down the book she was reading. “How can I help you today?” she asked, her long brunette ponytail swaying as she moved towards them.

“We’re going to get a puppy!” Carrie answered excitedly.

Laughing, Nancy scanned the girl’s name tag before correcting her daughter. “Hi, Meg. We’re looking to adopt a dog, but not necessarily a puppy.”

Meg nodded. “If there’s anything you’re looking for specifically, we can narrow the search down a little.” She winked at Carrie. “Or we can just look at all of them.”

“Nothing yappy,” Ned said, grinning at Nancy. When Carrie first asked for a dog, and Ned had caved instantaneously, Nancy told him it was his job to say no to any yappy dogs.

“And good with kids,” Nancy requested. She paused before adding, “Babies too.”

“Not a problem,” Meg started off, “All our animals right now are kid-friendly. As soon as we take an animal in we try to adapt it to being around children. We run a program for kids who want to volunteer. It’s just as good for the animals as it is for the kids.”

Nancy and Ned murmured their approval as Meg led them to the first cage.

“Maybe Lucky is the one?” Meg asked, letting out the fifth dog she had shown the family. “He’s around three years old and he’s been here for a couple of months.”

“What do you think, guys?” Ned asked, leaning down to rub the pug’s belly.

Carrie pouted. “It’s a boy. And he’s old.”

“I think I might have a compromise on the puppy debate,” Meg offered, putting Lucky back in his cage, before moving down a little. She reached into one of the top cages and pulled out a brown puppy with black markings. “We rescued her mom right before she had her litter, so this little girl had the luck to be born here. Because we’ve had her since birth, she’s pretty well-trained already.”

“Look at her eyes! It looks like she’s wearing a mask like those bad guys from Mom’s old movies,” Jamie exclaimed.

Meg laughed, scratching the puppy behind the ears. “Good catch. That’s why one of the workers named her Bandit. She’s a little older than she looks—she was the runt of the litter. All of her siblings have already been adopted. Her mom too.”

“Do you know what kind of a mix she is?” Ned asked.

“Boxer-Bull Mastiff, so she’ll be a big girl,” Meg answered. “But like I said, she was the runt so it’s possible she’ll stay a little on the smaller side.”

As soon as Meg placed the puppy on the ground, Bandit ran up to Nancy and jumped up on her hind legs.

Nancy picked her up, cuddling her. “She gets my vote,” she said, laughing as Bandit licked her nose. “Ned?”

“Hm,” Ned said theatrically. “I don’t know…” he trailed off, watching as Carrie bounced excitedly. “The kids already like you more, does the dog have to also?” he joked.

Carrie wrapped her arms around Ned’s legs. “I love you sooo much, Daddy,” she said, batting her eyes.

Ned chuckled. “Okay. Jamie?”

“Can I hold her?” Jamie asked, holding out his arms. Once Nancy transferred the puppy to his arms, Bandit began to kiss him with even more excitement than she had Nancy.

“My turn!” Carrie tugged on her brother’s jacket until he carefully handed over Bandit.

“I like her,” Jamie said to his parents. “She’s the one.”

“I love her,” Carried enthused. “Can we take her home? Please,” she begged.

“Welcome to the family, Bandit,” Ned said, scratching her behind her ears.


	2. Chapter 2

“I think we bought out the pet store,” Ned said, as he placed the bags from his third, and final, trip to the car on the floor. “You have to learn how to say no to those kids.”

“Me?” Nancy asked, raising a brow. “I remember saying Bandit only needs one collar, yet somehow we ended up with two.”

Ned shrugged. “As soon as Carrie won the coin toss I could feel Jamie’s fear of walking a dog with a sparkly bright pink collar. I didn’t want him using that as an excuse not to walk her,” he defended himself.

Laughing, Nancy dug the dog bowls out of one of the bags. “Think you can handle telling them they’re going to have to come inside?” Nancy asked, tilting her head towards the glass door to the backyard where Jamie and Carrie were running around with Bandit.

Ned sighed theatrically. “Sure just make me the bad guy,” he joked as he walked backwards towards the door.

Nancy stuck her tongue out playfully at her husband, before turning to the sink to fill up Bandit’s water bowl. She placed the bowl down on the bone-shaped rug Carrie had picked out, and the puppy was soon at her side for a drink.

“Slow down, girl,” Nancy said, lightly petting Bandit’s back. “They gave you a workout, huh?” Feeling a tug on her pant leg, she looked down to see Carrie, her cheeks flushed.

“Bandit runs so fast, Mommy!” Carrie said, her eyes lighting up.

Jamie joined his sister by Nancy’s side. “And she likes to fetch. Billy is going to be so jealous. He’s always complaining that his dog won’t fetch,” he gloated.

Nancy laughed at her children’s excitement. “Go wash up and let Bandit catch her breath while I start dinner.”

Carrie ran off towards the bathroom, but Jamie grabbed his mother’s hand, frowning. “We’ll take care of dinner. You should sit down.”

Nancy’s brows knitted as she studied her son’s concerned face. “I’m okay.” She looked up at Ned for support.

Her husband shrugged his shoulders. “Hey, he wants to pamper you. I’d take advantage of this.”

Nancy looked back and forth between them. He may take after both of them, but Jamie was a carbon copy of Ned. “Okay,” she said relenting, swooping down to pick up Bandit, who had decided to lie down on Nancy’s foot. “Bandit and I will be on the couch.”

Jamie’s face lit up and he started to pull Nancy towards the den. “We should watch one of your old movies after dinner. Bandit can see some bandits.” He waited until she sat down and then pulled a blanket Edith had knitted off the back of the recliner.

To Nancy’s amusement, he tucked her in and placed a kiss on her cheek. “Thanks, sweetie.”

Jamie handed her the remote before rejoining Ned in the kitchen. “Mom’s all set on the couch,” he said, watching Ned search in the freezer. “What are you doing?”

“Looking for this,” Ned answered triumphantly, pulling out a medium-sized container. “I knew your mom froze the leftover soup Hannah made when Carrie was sick.”

“Carrie doesn’t like soup if she’s not sick,” Jamie reminded him, sitting down on one of the stools at the island counter. “I think she’d like pizza for dinner.”

Spending a large portion of time with Edith and Hannah meant Jamie spent a lot of time in kitchens. He loved to help when he could and homemade pizza was one of his favorites, not only to eat, but to cook as well.

“It’s for Mom,” Ned responded, chuckling. “But pizza sounds good. Just let me make sure we have all the ingredients.”

Jamie let out a triumphant cheer before scrambling down from the stool. “I’ll go tell Carrie!”

No sooner than Jamie had left, Nancy stuck her head in the doorway. “Is the coast clear?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be relaxing?” Ned asked, nodding in response to his wife’s question.

“I’m fine. Really,” Nancy protested as she made her way to Ned’s side. “Is that your idea of making dinner?” she joked, nodding her head towards the soup container.

“Come here,” he sighed, pulling her into his arms. “Nan, I’m about ten seconds from dragging you to the doctor. Please just humor me and take it easy.” Deciding to pull out the big guns, he added, “Jamie’s worried about you.”

“Okay,” she relented. “But you’ll owe me once the kids are in bed tonight.”

Chuckling, Ned shooed her back into the den as he heard his children’s hurried footsteps. “Anything you want, Nan.”

Ned couldn’t help but laugh as he descended the stairs later that night after checking on his son. “Jamie is a little upset Bandit’s sleeping with Carrie tonight,” he said. “I told him he and Carrie could alternate nights, but something tells me you’re Bandit’s favorite. She stuck to you like glue tonight.”

Nancy flushed, wondering if the puppy had picked up on her state. Shaking away the thought, she smiled when Ned joined her on the couch. “Did you check on Carrie?”

Ned nodding, grinning. “I had to make sure Bandit was okay with how close she was cuddling him.” He settled in next to his wife. “Now I think I recall something about me owing you?” he asked with a wink.

Nancy hesitated before nodding. “I have some news and I need you not to worry.” Seeing the fear flash in her eyes, she hurried before he could say anything. “It’s a good thing Bandit is already housebroken,” Nancy commented, trying to force casualness into her tone. “I plan on taking advantage of not having to clean up after a little one for a little bit longer.”

“What are you talking ab-” Ned paused, understanding what Nancy was implying. “Are you—are you pregnant?”

Nancy nodded, beaming. “I took three tests this morning. It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but…” she trailed off.

Ned pulled her into his lap, placing a hand over her abdomen. “We’re having another baby.” He kissed her soundly. “Thank you, Nan.”

Nancy raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t do it alone. Was it that forgettable?”

Ned shook his head chuckling. “Not that. Thank you for all the hard work you’re about to put in. Thank you for being an incredible mother already.”

Nancy wiped away the tears gathering in her eyes. “I couldn’t do any of it without you, Ned.” She meant it with all of her heart. For so long she had been afraid of what kind of wife, what kind of mother she would be. But Ned had calmed all of her fears and his faith in her abilities had never waned.

“When you started getting sick, I really hoped you were pregnant,” Ned said softly. “But I was afraid to get your hopes up if I was wrong.”

Nodding, Nancy murmured her agreement. “That’s why I waited until I was absolutely sure to tell you. Hell, I was afraid to take the test and find out I was wrong, so I waited.”

“Did you make an appointment yet?” Ned inquired. “Morning sickness wasn’t a problem for you with Jamie and Carrie until after you found out you were pregnant. And it wasn’t this bad.”

“And that’s what I didn’t want you to worry about. It is a lot worse, but my doctor did say I was lucky during my other pregnancies,” she reminded him. “I made an appointment for Monday afternoon,” Nancy confirmed. “Think you can take a long lunch? I know your boss is a bit of a jerk,” she teased.

Ned chuckled. “I’ll be there,” he promised. “Does anyone else know?”

“I haven’t said anything,” Nancy replied, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Which is code for Mom knows something,” Ned finished for her.

Laughing, Nancy nodded. “Didn’t you notice the looks she was giving me when we picked up the kids last weekend? Carrie mentioned I wasn’t feeling well. Your mom even pulled me aside to ask if I had any doctor’s appointments coming up and needed her to watch the kids.”

Ned started to rub his hand over her stomach. “If it was up to her we’d have ten kids,” he said, grinning when Nancy winced.

“Then she should have given you a sibling to share that burden,” Nancy muttered. Biting her lip, she worriedly added, “How do you think Carrie is going to take the news? She won’t be the baby any longer.”

“She’ll be thrilled to have someone to boss around,” Ned said chuckling. “Don’t worry.”

Settling into her husband’s arms, Nancy laughed softly. “True. So be honest, do you want a boy or a girl?” She looked up at him and saw the happiness shining in his eyes.

“Either,” he answered honestly. “I don’t know if we could handle another Carrie, though.”

Nancy laughed, agreeing. “I don’t know how Dad handled me on his own.”

“I’m surprised Hannah never quit,” Ned joked.

Punching him lightly, Nancy exclaimed, “Hey! You were no angel either. Your mom keeps telling me horror stories to prepare me for Jamie.”

“Speaking of Jamie…” Ned trailed off.

“What?” Nancy asked, concerned. “You don’t think he’ll be upset when we tell him, do you?”

Ned shook his head. “No. I’m worried about how he’ll continue to be before we tell him.”

“He’ll just freak out if I continue to be sick,” Nancy said, Ned’s meaning dawning on her. “Well until it’s safe to tell him, you’re just going to have to keep your worrying in check. He takes his cues from you.”

“Easier said than done,” Ned muttered.

Nancy laughed and pulled her husband’s face closer. “Just think about months from now when we have another baby,” she said, ending her command with a kiss.

“Want to go upstairs and remind me of how that happened?” Ned asked, standing up and pulling her into his arms.

“With pleasure,” she barely managed to get out between laughs as Ned carried her up the stairs.


End file.
